The
Miller Khoshkish Foundation is organized to:1.Enhance the civic and
modern aspects of education to combat dogmatism, fanaticism,
superstition and
fundamentalism

2.Support the education
and broad appreciation of classical arts, music, literature and culture

3.Encourage basic
scientific research that does not have commercial goals in view.

Rationale

These
three areas have been chosen because:

1.Civics and the secular
framework are the foundations upon which modern civilized society is
built.When people respect social
ethics, behave towards one another with civility and keep their faiths
and
beliefs to themselves, society lives in harmony.Recent
surges in religious fundamentalism and the encouragement
of faith-based activities risk reducing civil concord among people and
enflaming fanaticism, superstition and ignorance.There
is a need to uphold institutions and programs that
demystify the public – particularly the young – and help them realize
that
their faith is their own personal affair, that what they believe in
cannot
necessarily be enacted as social law, and that in order to live
peacefully
within the society they should understand and behave according to civil
and
social ethics.

2.Through the ages, the
rebellion of new generations against established and traditional art
and
culture has served as the breeding ground for new art forms, and those
of them
that have withstood the test of time have survived to enrich human
cultural
heritage.However, excessive modern
commercialization of popular culture and art and the profitability
criteria of
the agencies that control them are pushing the quality of such works
towards
the lowest common denominator.That
trend has reduced the general public's access to classical art and
culture and
is depriving new generations from exposure to the rich sources serving
as
inspiration for their rebellion and creative talents.Programs that expose the public and the younger generation
to
the
classic cultural and artistic heritage of mankind should be fostered.

3.
The technologies that today provide us with comforts
unparalleled in history owe their development to the curiosity and
spirit of
discovery of scientists who learned for the sake of knowing and
reflected for
the sake of understanding.They did not
stop to ask "what is it good for?" and did not stop their research if
they could not find a utilitarian and profitable end for it.Today, a negative answer to this question
can abort a scientific endeavor that may appear to have only
enlightenment in
view.In the long run, this tendency
may well prove detrimental to the very people who seek and support
scientific
research only for utilitarian goals because it discourages open-ended
scientific inspiration and encloses science within the technological
loop.Serious scientific inquiry should be
sustained even when its utilitarian application is not apparent.

Mode
of Operation

The
Miller Khoshkish Foundation will provide financial support
and expertise for programs that further its goals.

The
determination to fund a program will be based upon its
compatibility with the purposes
of the Miller Khoshkish Foundation and the degree of
its efficacy to do so.

Depending
on the nature and size of projects, funding will, in
general, vary between $2,000 and $35,000.Larger
sums may be considered for projects with broad
national
and
international magnitude.The Miller
Khoshkish Foundation will provide expertise to make projects more
compatible
with its goals.

Whenever
the occasion arises, the Miller Khoshkish Foundation
may award prize(s) to educational programs effectively run within
kindergarten
to twelfth grade schools to sensitize children to the civic
understanding of
social life.

The
Foundation may make outright donations to programs of
other501(c)(3) institutions
that further the aims of the Miller Khoshkish Foundation.

Application
Procedure

Before
submitting a full proposal, the applicants are advised to
contact the Miller Khoshkish Foundation and indicate their intention
and the
nature of their project.This can be
best accomplished by submission of a concise two page abstract
describing the
project and its:

Goal

Pertinence
to the purposes of the Miller Khoshkish Foundation

Scope
and duration

Complete
address, contact information and qualifications of the
persons conceiving and executing it

501(c)(3)
sponsoring institution

Total
budget and the amount of grant requested.

Upon
examination of the initial description, if the application
is deemed potentially eligible by the Miller Khoshkish Foundation, the
applicant will be requested to furnish additional information,
including:

Details
of the work plan, its logistics and the strategy for
completion

Survival
prospects of the project beyond the grant period

The
status of the sponsoring organization and the declaration of
its willingness to assume legal and fiscal responsibility for the
project

Name
of other organizations approached, those willing to support
the project and the scope of their support

Detailed
budget of the project, and the way the requested grant
will be used within it.